Concerning the Relations of the King and the Head of the Civil Guard
by Fears-of-the-Doctor
Summary: Sir Hanazawa Teruki is usually the confident type. He's strong and skilled and, of course, attractive. So what's the big deal he's having with King Shigeo? Well, it probably has to due with the fact that they're friends. It may also be because Shigeo doesn't understand that you don't stare into your friend's eyes for extended periods of time.
1. Sir Hanazawa's Box

This fanfiction is set in Beanpots's mp100 AU, Black and Gold. I do not take credit for the characters, or the general setting, since it has been inspired by another blog's work.

Here's the link to Beanpots's AU: tagged/royalty%20au

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Hanazawa Teruki was not very well known for struggling with his feelings. In fact, he felt perfectly at ease with the majority of decisions he made and accepted his emotions without much hardship. He was smooth like honey in the way it looked-like a golden boy with a sweet smile-and the way it tasted-the pure flavor of flowers churned into syrup-and the way it was sticky-hinting that he would be a sappy lover, forever sticking to your side. He was also devastatingly intimidating like a hawk when it turns its yellow eyes on you, feathers ruffled out when his kingdom is threatened and the cunning gleam of claws-as shiny as his sword-flashed the horrified face of the offender.

To say he was the heartthrob of his kingdom would be just.

To say he was the heartburn of his enemies was true.

But now came the real question: if Hanazawa Teruki was confident and beautiful and gentle in the eyes of the kingdom, what was he doing aggressively grinding his teeth in the wee hours of the night? Certainly he was not struggling to figure out what he was eating the next morning, nor was he worried about his position in the Guard. It couldn't be about his clothing for the day, as tomorrow was a day as any other and he would simply wear his uniform.

No, Teruki's concern lied in the deep dark depths of emotions where people were often fond of hiding important things like the weight of deceit and marriage and the one time you morbidly embarrassed yourself in front of all the kids you were growing up with. It was the kind of hidden thing that only stayed hidden in daytime and felt free to roam at night, its favorite pass time sneaking up on its owner to worry them until they fell asleep.

At first, Teruki, comfortable with himself, picked up this little worry and examined it.

He said, "It's alright."

But he felt as if it would leave. Which was also alright.

Since Teruki accepted the Worry's existence, it felt brave enough to venture into the light of day. This was okay too, in the beginning. Teruki thought it funny and the feeling of his chest odd when the Worry would laugh at a sudden, very poorly timed joke made by the king. He thought it was strange the way the Worry would sometimes hop into his food during tea time so Teruki had to swallow the Worry, and then it would pull his rib cage against his heart when Teruki glanced up and accidentally met the king's gaze. On other occasions, the Worry would compliment the king's swordsmanship a little beyond necessary, and Teruki wanted to punch the Worry.

But soon, Teruki realized that that was only the same as having an annoying friend. He had hell to pay for not rejecting the Worry.

So the little Worry grew into a big Problem.

And suddenly, the king was Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo, and Shigeo could demote Teruki from his position as much as he wanted, and Teruki would just call it a good lesson because he was certain it was all getting to his head anyway. Shigeo would call for Teruki to walk with him in the rose garden or study with him, and Teruki would always be there, even if it meant missing several rounds of cards and silly gambling with the other guards. If Shigeo wanted Teruki to help him find an outfit for a particular event rather than asking his usual assistant, Teruki would be damned if he didn't make it to Shigeo's rooms in less than ten minutes, even if he had to fight a dragon along the way.

But Teruki was certain that he wasn't the only one becoming aware of the Problem. When he left the garden after an hour's walk with Shigeo, the assistants would watch Teruki with an odd shape to their eyes. Sometimes, he would be quietly beaming as he walked down the corridor after an accidental run-in with Shigeo, and the folk who watched him pass by glared as if his happiness was silly and uncalled for. Supper time became unbearable when he was enjoying conversation with the other folk dining, and Teruki made a cunning joke and the pair would exchange glances and Shigeo would give a small smile that let Teruki know he found it funny, and Teruki's heart would bubble over, and then the visitor of the week for this education purpose or that treaty would inch their chair away from Teruki in disdain as if he had somehow stolen the crown from them by having a little of the king's favor. ( _Not like they were going to get the crown_ , Teruki would think sullenly.)

But the longer the Problem tugged on Teruki's tailcoats and made him bite the inside of his cheek until it bled and pulled him into more flashy poses when Shigeo would watch him spar and snuck into his belly only to let loose cages of butterflies and pinch his cheeks until they turned red and would read to Teruki the list of Shigeo's favorite clothes and tea and weather late into the evening, the more Teruki grew frustrated until he finally snapped and he had an explosive argument with the Problem, which led to Teruki squishing it into a little box completely too small to contain the big Problem and stuffing the box into the deep recesses of his mind so it would collect dust like the underside of his bed.

It was alright for a little while; not feeling too much. Teruki ate fine and sparred fine and laughed fine. He still had his fair share of glances his way when he walked into town, people interested in his courtship, and his dancing was still top of the line, and he still won a number of card games. But sometimes the Box under his bed would rattle, just a little, and Teruki would have to go sit on it to keep it from moving. Sometimes, he would just kick the damn thing because it would try to open the lid when it heard Shigeo's voice floating down the corridor; because really. It's just a voice. Other times, it would whimper like a wounded animal if Teruki saw an interesting trinket at one of the market stalls that lined the street, and Teruki would glare at the Box. So what if Shigeo might like the trinket? It wasn't his job to buy things for the king. But the Box would shuffle to the side when Teruki pulled out a few coins to pay the merchant, pocketing the trinket as he walked down the street.

But there was something odd about this situation that made Teruki wonder, does Shigeo _know_ the Box is there? Is he interested in it? Maybe the Box is a color Shigeo likes, and he wants it to put his own things in. Certainly Shigeo doesn't know what's _inside_ the box, Teruki knows that; the king isn't that perceptive. But Teruki knows there's something about the Box that Shigeo is interested in, because he starts looking Teruki in the eyes for longer periods of time that send the Box quivering, and he would let Teruki stay in his rooms later and later every evening to discuss this book and that fancy new sword that had just been brought to the market even though Teruki was aware Shigeo didn't often read and didn't much like fighting, and the Box would shake so much that no dust could settle on it. Shigeo even once mentioned that he knew Teruki's Guard duty schedule so he would never interrupt his work, and Teruki had to kick the Box so it slid to the far corner of under the mattress.

But Shigeo seemed desperate to own that Box, because Teruki swore he could feel grabby, greedy hands searching under that bed in his heart where he kept the object. He blamed Shigeo's want for the box on him being raised as a little prince, but Teruki knew Shigeo was of the unusually selfless type; Shigeo probably just wanted Teruki to stop denting a useful thing like a box with kicks and punches. He didn't even know the horror that was kept under the Box's lid. So instead of letting Shigeo's smile search for the Box, Teruki sat down firmly on it, wrinkling the lid and crushing the corners. He'd buy Shigeo a much more pretty box from the market if he wanted one so bad.

The terrible thing though, was that Teruki, with or without the Box, would follow Kageyama Shigeo to the ends of the earth. Which he was entirely prepared to do as a knight and a friend, especially with the rebellions brewing in the underground. Others wouldn't view this as terrible, absolutely not; it was proof of a knight's loyalty. But for Teruki, this meant that even an hour past midnight, he would be climbing the tower stairs at a heated pace to knock on the king's door.

A quiet, "come in." came from the other side of the thick oak door.

Teruki silently opened the heavy door, careful not to make much noise, lest they alert the rest of the castle.

These were rare times, when Shigeo would call on Teruki so late in the night, very rare, but it was not the first occurrence. On average, these late hours were saved for when Shigeo was having a crisis, crushed under responsibility and concern, and Teruki would find him sitting on the very edge of his four poster bed, sweating nervously and pinching his arms as he hugged himself. So Teruki found himself dreading these late night rendezvous, because it seemed unfair that someone like Shigeo should have to worry himself to pieces about rebellions and assassins and treaties.

But tonight was an even rarer phenomenon. So rare, that it was the first time it had happened. Shigeo was wearing a cotton nightgown and leaning calmly against his closed window, body facing the door but his head turned in a side profile so he could watch the stars. Anyone would look at that image and think, what a lonely king. But Teruki saw a very happy king.

As the door clicked shut, Shigeo turned to notice Teruki, and the perfect portrait pose was broken to reveal a mildly awkward boy who looked rather younger than he was.

"Sir Hanazawa!" came the polite and quiet voice, but he was excited all the less. Folk needed time around Shigeo to understand that his perpetually plain voice held the smallest and usually most meaningful inflections.

"It's just Hanazawa, Shigeo," Teruki said in return. Shigeo had insisted on dropping the 'king' to his title, and Teruki was informal enough to accept. Shigeo, on the other hand, seemed stubborn in keeping Teruki's name polite. "Or Teruki, if you want."

"Hanazawa," Shigeo said as if in some form of justification. He would often drop the 'sir' these days, after Teruki mentioned it. He always had to remind Shigeo though.

"What is it you called me for?" This late in the night truly wasn't an issue for Teruki, he was often used to very late night patrols and guard duty. In fact, he had just been let off of this night's shift. But what could he be needed for here if Shigeo was perfectly fine?

Shigeo took a seat in one of the armchairs by the fire, sinking into the soft material. Teruki took a seat in the opposite one, pulling his legs up into the armchair to sit criss-cross, without permission; he knew he didn't need it. This was friend and friend, not King and Knight.

"Well, you had just gotten off duty for the night," Shigeo mumbled in his usual way. The Box in Teruki's heart made a scuffling sound. He never forgot how Shigeo had memorized his schedule. "And I happened to be awake. I-I wanted to talk to you about something."

Now Shigeo was nervous, and Teruki's whole being was aware of this.

"The-there's a ball tomorrow, and..." Teruki waited patiently for Shigeo to finish, but the Box was on edge. Then a very small, sliver of a voice came out, "I don't know what to wear."

"That's fine! I'll help you!" Teruki beamed, his regular voice seemed too loud in this silent night, and both boys flinched. Quieter this time, Teruki continued, "should we take a look at your outfits?"

"Y-yes," Shigeo said, standing up. Teruki followed and led Shigeo to his wardrobe, where he promptly opened it and examined the contents.

"You've bought knew suits," Teruki looked appreciatively at the cloth.

Shigeo played with his hands. "Ritsu gave some to me...said I've worn everything in here on too many occasions...people would start thinking of me as cheap."

Cheap, huh? That brother of his could be cold sometimes, but Teruki figured he was just trying to help his big brother out. He ignored the idea of giving a scoffing remark in regards to Ritsu in favor of picking out one of the tailcoat suits.

He played with the material of a black coat with golden embellishments adorning the sleeve cuffs and decorating the neck. A true classic for the kingdom. "Have you tried this one on?" Teruki asked, showing the suit currently in his possession.

"No..."

"Here. Hold it," Teruki gave Shigeo the suit and began another search.

He came out with another black tailcoat, this one with expensive red buttons and red seams, the waist pulled tight and then flaring out gently to exaggerate the area. A deep blue, seven piece suit with silver embroidery and a black cravat. Another one, this time with a cloak and golden, double buttons down the front. Teruki had chosen the new suits for Shigeo to try on, save for the solid white one with golden sewing; it was bold and regal, but not something Shigeo would be comfortable in. Teruki barely even bothered to look at it, knowing it was in the discard pile.

The boys spent the next hour looking at the details of the suits on Shigeo, adding shoes or a ring to his finger to see the full product. Shigeo turned a ruby red every time he revealed a new outfit on himself. Teruki kick the Box in his heart and told the king to turn in a circle.

"They all look magnificent, your highness," Teruki added the title as a friendly joke, but the honesty was tangible in his words. "Which do you prefer?"

"Oh, thank you, Hanazawa," Shigeo said, not looking at him. Teruki was sitting comfortably on the edge of the bed, and Shigeo had his back to him, standing up straight as he examined his image in the full length mirror, the last of the suits still on. "I'm not certain. I rather like them all." Then, suddenly, in Shigeo's regularly abrupt way, "what are you wearing?"

Teruki looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

Calmly and still to the mirror, "to the ball. Have you decided what you're wearing?"

"Shigeo, I have guard duty. I won't be attending," Teruki watched his friend with curious eyes. The Problem in the Box was shaking.

Shigeo turned around swiftly, shock written on his usually passive face. Concern and worry flooded both boys at once.

"Oh no! I-I-I-I forgot! I'm so sorry, H-Hanazawa!" Shigeo's face was so red, Teruki figured he could cook an egg on it. The king was sweating profusely, and his mouth was open and frowning as he quickly apologized, and began to bow.

"No! No!" Teruki exclaimed, horrified that Shigeo was bowing to him to apologize. "Get up! Don't worry about it! This isn't something to be so sorry about!"

Shigeo was facing him, but his eyes were anywhere but on Teruki as he spoke. "I-it is, though! You-you see, I had arranged, weeks ago, for your duty to be excused for tomorrow! But...but I forgot to tell you!"

Teruki suddenly felt very empty. Had his soul evaporated? That must be it. He was going to a ball tomorrow? He hadn't been to a ball for ages. Did he even still have a suit to fit him? He didn't think so. And then his soul came rushing back into his body, and the air was knocked out of him. Was Shigeo inviting him to the ball? As the head of the Civil Guard, yes? Of course. Of course! But he didn't have a suit! Should he match Shigeo's suit, since they came from the same kingdom? Would others think that was weird? Did he have money to buy a suit to match Shigeo's? No, he shouldn't match Shigeo's suit, that would be strange. Right?

The questions ran into each other all at once in a panicked frenzy, but Teruki sounded calm as he said, "I don't have a suit to fit me. Its been too long since I've last attended a ball."

Shigeo played with his own hands again, eyes wide and worried. "I'm sorry! I can't buy anything on such sort notice...but I think Reigen might have something to fit you..."

"Really...?" Now Teruki's feelings were starting to catch up with his voice, and he sounded hollow and shell-shocked. "I'll have to ask him tomorrow morning then, huh...?"

"Y-yes, you should..." Shigeo fumbled with his fingers. "I-it's late. Perhaps we ought to go to bed? Since we'll be up late at the ball tomorrow."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Teruki hopped up from the bed, mind dizzy and his movements empty as he struggled to comprehend the fast paced events of the night. Shigeo followed behind him, and Teruki opened the door. As he exited, he turned around to bid the king a good night's sleep. "See you tomorrow then, Shigeo?"

"Yes..." he confirmed shyly, hand on the door. "Don't forget to ask Reigen for a suit."

And the door was shut, and there stood Sir Hanazawa Teruki, his soul once again evaporating from his mouth in the pitch black corridor. But this time, the Problem sprung out of the Box, and the Box evaporated too. His Problem was set free again.

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Did they just play dress-up for an hour at 1:00am? Yes.

Aside from that fact, there's definitely going to be three chapters in this work, the next one being the exact same story, but in Shigeo's POV because Shigeo most certainly didn't know about the little Worry or the big Problem or even the Box under the bed. He was just really into hanging out with one of the most attractive guys in Seasoning Kingdom.

The last chapter will be the ball because wow, mushy. Those boys are mushy. Ugh.

Bless Beanpots and those AUs!


	2. About Time

This chapter is written a lot differently than the previous one due to the change in character POV.

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Kageyama Shigeo was the soon-to-be king of Seasoning Kingdom. He was a rather thin boy for having spent twenty-three years being raised as a prince, with little fat but also little muscle. He had desirable pale, oriental skin, the kind celebrated in many cultures, and inky black hair, the kind girls his age would kill for. His eyes were big and black, with a constant far-away gaze in them. His touch was gentle, and his voice soft. Nothing about the boy was wicked. Nothing about him said he was acceptable king material.

Except for his unbeatable swordsmanship.

His precious sword was big and heavy, a particularly difficult creation to wield. Not many could do it with the easy of the prince. His movements were fluid and graceful and dangerous, a terrifying combination. The only issue was, Shigeo really didn't like to fight; he really didn't.

All of these factors combined made the future king very unnoticeable. He had no presence. He was skinny and pale, his dark hair cut straight across his forehead in a rather unprincely way. His eyes were big, but lidded, so many thought he was perpetually bored. With no desire to fight, he did not show off his skill, and his voice was plain and unassuming. If he donned regular peasant clothes on an average day to walk about the streets, no one would be any the wiser to who he was.

And Kageyama Shigeo was okay with that. If he were to be honest with himself, which he often was, he didn't much like the attention he received as heir to the throne. He was not fond of the fear in his enemies' eyes; he didn't enjoy the maids and butlers that would approach him every day; he felt sick at the idea of courtship. He'd much rather his younger brother take the throne. For Kageyama Ritsu was everything Shigeo believed he wasn't.

Ritsu had the same oriental skin, the same black hair, the same wide eyes, the same skinny build. Except, Ritsu had somehow learned how to correctly combine these assets. His hair was styled in a rather attractive manner, his eyes exhibited some further intelligence, and he had put on lean muscle. His voice was pleasant, but his demands were solid. He had presence; a lot of it. The only problem here was Ritsu wanted Shigeo to be king. This did provide a mild conflict.

And then there was the knight. Sir Hanazawa Teruki. He was the best of the best, and he knew it. Ritsu knew it. Shigeo knew it. The previous king knew it because he had promoted Hanazawa to the Royal Guard at an incredibly young age.

Sometimes, when Shigeo was younger, his former sword's master, Reigen Arataka, would have him watch Hanazawa Teruki when he sparred. Shigeo would sit patiently on the sidelines, sometimes forgetting to watch because a butterfly passing by was much more interesting, but sometimes, Shigeo was captured by the movements. Hanazawa was odd. He was young but Shigeo could see that his swordsmanship was equivalent to the king. And on occasion, Hanazawa even looked angry. He would just spar and spar with ever changing partners for hours, and little Shigeo would get so nervous and uncomfortable, he would ask Reigen if he could be excused to play with his younger brother.

But one day, while Hanazawa was sparring and Shigeo was watching, Hanazawa ran out of partners to fight. Shigeo watched the other guards' faces; scared, nervous, frightened. They didn't want to spar with Hanazawa; they didn't like him. And then, suddenly, Reigen smacked Shigeo's back and made the prince jump.

"Alright. It's your turn," he had said. "Show those other guards there's nothing to be afraid of."

And everyone's eyes were on the young prince. Hanazawa watched him with his usual piercing and unhappy eyes, the angry emotions Shigeo would watch grow in the guard as he sparred to no end. Shigeo began to sweat. He was shaking, and he felt sick. Someone handed him his sword, but he was so scared, he didn't look at their face. And then he stepped into the sparring ring.

Gripping the sword firmly like Reigen taught him to do, he faced Hanazawa. But he felt like his sword was too big, and his legs were too weak, and his lungs weren't working enough. But Hanazawa held no mercy for the little prince and attack head on. Shigeo squeaked and flung his sword into a defensive position, accurately blocking the boy's swords. Shigeo counted his lucky stars.

And that was how the next half hour was spent. Shigeo made no offensive moves but only defended himself from an on-slaughter of skillful attacks. He was frightened; sweating; shaking. He couldn't hurt someone; he really couldn't. Shigeo didn't want this with his entire being.

In the same moment that Shigeo was about to break down in tears right there in the sparring ring, Reigen stood up, making the hand signal to discontinue the fight. Everything happened in a relieved blur. His sword was taken, someone led him out of the ring, a hand was placed comfortingly on his back, guiding him out of the training area.

When they were far enough from the training grounds, somewhere with trees that Shigeo would eventually love, a voice spoke; Reigen was speaking to him. "I'm sorry Shigeo. This was my fault for not seeing how much you didn't like that."

And then Shigeo really did burst into tears. He felt bad for making Reigen feel bad; he felt sad because Hanazawa was always angry; he blamed himself for not being ready.

Reigen knelt down in front of him and hugged Shigeo in a fatherly embrace. "It's okay. You're just twelve. You don't need to worry. That won't happen again. I won't do that."

Shigeo clung to those words until his tears stopped flowing, and Reigen led him back to the castle. After that, Shigeo did not practice with his sword for some time. Instead, he listened to Reigen's tales of adventures and played games with Ritsu until his evening dance lessons.

With time, Shigeo forgot Hanazawa existed. It wasn't hard, after all. It was a traumatic memory he didn't desire to hold onto and the fading of the memory was only made easier by the fact that he did not see Hanazawa for years, which probably had to due with Reigen's careful planning.

Then, the king died. Shigeo was given little time to mourn before all duties were passed onto him. He was twenty-three now and plenty capable. He could handle the cooks and the maids and the butlers and the functions of the library. He also was meant to meet regularly with the Royal and Civil guards. Easy enough, except Shigeo was trying desperately to look as if he was not still mourning his father's death, which resulted in a paper-white complexion and heavy bags under his eyes, which was no way to present yourself to your guards; which was exactly how Shigeo showed up to his first meeting.

When the new king stepped into the meeting room, there was a sudden, collective silence. All guards were sitting on respective sides of a large, wooden table watching him at first with awe and then incredulity. This was their king? This weak, skinny, sick little boy? But no one was yet brave enough to speak up. Save for one: the youngest of the lot.

He was loud and confident and very displeased. He made it clear he wasn't in agreeance with Shigeo's ideas. All throughout the meeting, he had something to say. Shigeo often did not get scared anymore, especially with his thoughts running thin. Instead, he was just annoyed.

When the meeting was dispersed, with much muttering from the guards, the youngest and boldest guard approached Shigeo bravely. Demanded a fight, in fact, right then a there straight to the king. Said to meet him on the training grounds in an hour's time. Shigeo couldn't get a single pitiful word in before the knight stormed off.

The most logical thing was to consult his brother.

"Just go see him," Ritsu advised. "He won't leave you be until then."

"But I don't want to fight..." Shigeo muttered, disappointed in the turn of events. Couldn't he just talk to the knight? "I don't even know who he is..."

Ritsu looked at him oddly. "That was the head of the Royal Guard. We were at his knighting ceremony."

Oh. Right. Shigeo barely remember the face of their latest knighting ceremony and that was only a week ago. "The head of the Royal Guard wants to spar with me?!"

Shigeo met the knight in the sparring ring. He spoke and he spoke and he spoke through various defensive positions, as the knight did not stop his advances. Shigeo wanted desperately not to do this. It was frustrating; annoying. Why wasn't he being listened to? He really didn't like this. He really, really, really, didn't like this. It had to stop. Shigeo needed it to stop. So he made it stop in the only way he knew how. He attacked with the kind of anger he suddenly remembered Hanazawa fighting with, years and years ago.

It was devastating for both parties. Hanazawa was severely injured and ill for days, nursing a wounded pride. Shigeo, physically uninjured, spent several nights staring at his ceiling, regret warming him under his blankets.

Although Shigeo greatly wished he had not fought with the knight, he witnessed something he considered potential. Thoughtfully, he wondered about Sir Hanazawa and what he was like; what he could do for the kingdom. With this in mind, he patiently waited for Hanazawa to heal before arranging a private meeting.

This was the kind of brave only the newest version of Shigeo could be: King Shigeo. He was nervous, yes; sweating; toying with his hands. But he would never have made a move like this before now. He thought that this was leadership improvement.

They met in one of the office rooms, Hanazawa knocking on the thick wooden door, and waiting for a quiet, "come in."

Hanazawa looked different, that was the first thing Shigeo noticed. He had a new haircut, that Shigeo admittedly thought was nice. Hanazawa also looked lighter; happier in some way. His eyes were different, as if his anger was gone. Hanazawa looked refreshed, almost. Shigeo certainly found it refreshing.

"Yes, your highness?" Even his voice was different, just slightly. He was certainly more respectful.

Shigeo watched this new knight curiously. "I've come to a decision after our battle."

This seemed to have touched a nerve with Hanazawa because his face pulled down unhappily, and he began to bow. "I promise I have full faith in the crown. I will not-"

"I am not upset," Shigeo said mildly. "It let me know why you are head of the Royal Guard." Hanazawa looked at him curiously. "But I'd like to make you head of the Civil Guard instead."

There was a shocked silence. Hanazawa stared at Shigeo, his face frozen. "A-are you demoting me?"

"...Yes," he replied hesitantly.

Hanazawa opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. "But-but I...! I don't understand-I do understand, I did something terrible but-I promise to protect you-"

"Please stop, Sir Hanazawa." Hanazawa stopped mid-sentence. "I don't want you to protect me. I want you to promise to protect the kingdom. Please." As king, Shigeo didn't need to add the 'please,' but he did so out of habit.

The gears were still visibly turning behind Hanazawa's blue eyes. "I...yes, of course, your highness." He bowed low, showing his back to his king in submission.

"Thank you, Sir Hanazawa," Shigeo smiled small and brief in relief. He was glad Hanazawa accepted without an argument. "If it is alright with you, may you introduce yourself to me?"

"Your highness, you already know me!"

"I'd like to start over," he explained. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. Is this alright?"

"Of course..." Hanazawa said, bemused. Taking a deep breath, he started, "My name is Sir Hanazawa Teruki of Seasoning Kingdom, head of the Civil Guard. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Instead of letting him bow, Shigeo stuck out his hand. "I am King Kageyama Shigeo of Seasoning Kingdom. I look forward to working with you."

Hanazawa hesitantly took Shigeo's hand and shook it. Shigeo was very pleased with this new knight.

Hanazawa proved to be very interesting. Often times, Shigeo would stop by the training grounds to see how the knight was handling the new guards and was highly impressed by his change in fighting style. Impressed enough to invite Hanazawa to have tea with him. And was even further impressed with Hanazawa that Shigeo made mentions of having tea with him at least once a week; Hanazawa said he was extremely flattered but did not deserve this. Shigeo insisted.

Through this regular dining together, the pair became comfortably close. So much so that Shigeo boldly asked Hanazawa to accompany him for an afternoon walk one day; rather, it was bold in Shigeo's case, because Shigeo hardly spoke to others save for his brother and adviser. Shigeo walked with Hanazawa through the garden and listened contently as he spoke about the new Civil Guard members he was training. Hanazawa talked about the guards' improvements and behavior and often gave them a good word. This touched Shigeo as he was unaware of such vast improvement in Hanazawa's own character. The next time they met, Shigeo asked that they may take a walk again.

Shigeo was happy to listen to the knight's tales of the Civil Guard and the occassional horror stories passed between the guards late at night in the barracks. He was interested in Hanazawa's take on the current politics and was curious about all the places he had seen while on missions for the previous king. Hanazawa also knew a good assortment of odd things, like how shoes were made or how to speak the language from across the seas and the difference between a Monarch and a Viceroy butterfly. When the conversation would lull for too long, he would sometimes point to flowers during their walks in the garden and tell Shigeo what they were. And even though Shigeo already knew the type of flower, he would listen to Hanazawa as if he did not.

When Shigeo was not reading letters, writing letters, previewing documents, and discussing things with his adviser Reigen, he would make a trip down to the training grounds to see the Civil Guard. Normally, he did not stop to watch, but walked past as if he was on his way to somewhere else because he did not feel comfortable standing by and watching. But the glimpses of what he saw made him smile, as Hanazawa carefully led the Guard. On his best of days, and often his least busiest, Shigeo would actually stop and spar with Hanazawa and mingle with the other members of the Guard.

Time passed, and the death of his father began to pass as well. Shigeo found the duties of a king extremely difficult and heavy and was regularly left feeling drained and unsure of what to do. His brother helped for some time to ease the emotional burden but then became the cause of double that when Ritsu mentioned he had a regular intruder in his rooms who would not leave him be. When Shigeo consulted Reigen, he said it couldn't be dangerous if Prince Ritsu was regarding this in such a manner as a bug that wouldn't leave him be; this did not help much.

While Shigeo loved his brother dearly and looked toward Reigen for assistance, he found himself fancying Sir Hanazawa's company on a regular basis. He was now in the habit of inviting Hanazawa to the library and even got a hold of the knight's schedule so he would never interrupt his duty. (Shigeo wanted to be a good friend, not a troublesome one.) On occasions, when Shigeo was feeling chatty, he would request that Hanazawa spend some time in his rooms with him after supper. The only other people to have been in Shigeo's rooms were his parents and Ritsu, who also spent a good number of evenings talking together.

Shigeo liked those times by the fireplace where they would sit and talk until the sun went down. It was peaceful and lovely, the way their voices would drop in volume in time with the dropping of the sun. The fire in the fireplace burned at the same gentle rate, and, yet, it seemed to burn brighter when the stars came out. In those moments, Shigeo felt like a teenage boy again, a boy who had a friend and not a kingdom. He wished he had grown up with Hanazawa's voice laughing quietly in the night, and their profiles being lit by a crackling fire, the only source of light this late. His wishes aside, Shigeo was glad that Hanazawa agreed to starting over. It was a thought he often had when he lay in his large, four poster bed after a lengthy talk with the knight.

"What are you staring at the ceiling all sappy for?" Dimple, a green glob of a ghost that took to 'haunting' the castle, remarked snidely. He had floated in through the wall a solid five seconds ago, and, with no acknowledgement from Shigeo, took to making his presence known.

Shigeo did not respond. He usually didn't when it came to Dimple vying for attention.

"Is this about that knight?" Dimple watched him in the dark. "The one who was in here an hour ago? ...Sir Hanazawa Teruki?"

Now Shigeo just didn't know how to respond.

"I can see your eyes are wide open, Shigeo," the spirit deadpanned. "Don't ignore me."

So Shigeo turned his head blankly towards the mass of green fog. "What do you want me to say?"

This seemed to frustrate Dimple. "Anything! Give me confirmation! Tell me what you're thinking, kid!" Dimple had a very rude way of speaking.

"...Yes," he turned his head back to watch the ceiling.

Dimple watched him carefully before floating down into a lying position beside Shigeo. He was barely the size of a head.

"Please get out of my bed." Shigeo said.

"You need company."

"I don't want your company."

"What a rude little-!" Dimple cut himself off. Instead, he tried another tactic. "You're thinking about a knight. Isn't it a bad idea for a king to associate with someone too low on the social chain?"

"There's no rule saying I can't be friends with a knight."

"He's in the Civil Guard, Shigeo."

"Because I put him there. Anyway," Shigeo looked at Dimple. "There's nothing wrong with being a guard...I'm not replacing you, if that's what you're worried about."

"Tch! I know I'm not being replaced! I'm too good for that...," he mumbled under his breath. "But be careful how close you get. You might not view the gap between king and Civil Guard to be that big, but the rest of society begs to differ."

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me," Shigeo told Dimple.

Dimple sighed, not out of exasperation but a sigh that sounded worried. Shigeo thought he was imagining it. "You'll figure it out, kid." With that, Dimple disappeared through the door.

However, Shigeo did not figure it out, and it concerned him until he fell asleep. The next morning, he had no memory of Dimple's parting words. Instead, he had to chew through Ritsu's disapproval of the budding friendship. Almost literally, since his brother approached the topic during breakfast.

"You and Sir Hanazawa are getting awfully close," Ritsu said, as casually as any prince could be.

"Well, he is my friend," Shigeo responded freely, unaware that Ritsu was watching him with a warning in his eyes.

"It's never wise to play favorites, Big Brother."

"Play favorites?"

"It'll upset the other guards," Ritsu played with his fork, twirling it in between his fingers. "They'll start to think Sir Hanazawa is your favorite."

Shigeo was startled. "I'm not playing favorites. Besides, Sir Hanazawa was Father's favorite knight, too."

"You just said 'too'. As in, 'as well'. As in, Sir Hanazawa was Father's favorite knight and is also your favorite knight," he had cornered his older brother.

"Ritsu..."

"I'm just trying to warn you, the other guards might start to dislike Sir Hanazawa. It's only natural," Ritsu said.

"But he's the head of the Civil Guard," Shigeo nervously abandoned his food. "They get along. I've seen it."

"Just watch out for him, I guess...You don't want him getting picked on," Ritsu's voice slowly retreated from the conversation.

What an odd thing for Ritsu to say! Shigeo was certain Hanazawa was well-liked by both the Royal and Civil Guards. He had seen them interact on a number of occasions. There was no reason for worry, and, yet, he still found himself concerned enough to mention it to Hanazawa on one of their walks.

It was a brilliant day without a cloud in the sky, and all the flowers they passed by were in vibrant bloom. The pair were sitting together in the middle of the garden on a stone bench, a half hour walk from any garden exit. The sun was high in the sky, and its light was caressing their necks in the gentle way only the sun in Seasoning Kingdom could.

For some reason entirely unknown to Shigeo, his heart was in his throat. "How are you and the other guards doing?"

Hanazawa smiled in response to the question. "We're well. They really understand how to identify and capture a moving target, and they're used to avoiding conflict with the kingdom's people. Right now, I'm having them learn how to disarm an opponent without a weapon."

"That's very good..." Shigeo stated. He felt silly for thinking this was an issue, after all, Hanazawa was happily speaking of his companions just this last week.

"Speaking of, one of them was out in the town yesterday and came back with this tale about an old woman who could run faster than him..." Hanazawa trailed off into a new story, laughing sometimes to show that he thought it was absurd and then continuing like the story material was gold.

Shigeo accidentally let his attention slip, watching as a nearby beetle fell off the bench and then proceeded to climb onto a leaf. In the background, Hanazawa's voice played, and although Shigeo was barely listening, he found it soothing. He liked listening to the knight's lighthearted speech like some sort of break in the stress that was amounting. Hanazawa's company was like the eye in the storm. Shigeo could breathe just a little bit deeper beside him.

As Shigeo basked in the revelation of this relief he found, he had let their proximity go unchecked. Casually, he adjusted his position on the bench and continued to watch the world around him as it moved about its business. But then Shigeo startled the wits out of himself. He had widened his legs to get comfortable and had bumped his knee into Hanazawa's thigh. In retrospect, this wasn't a terrible thing, he had just accidentally invaded someone's personal space. Which terrified Shigeo. His poor heart was racing faster than his brain thought it should, and the sun was suddenly much too hot; he swore he was going to sweat right through his clothes.

Shigeo opened his mouth to give a shaky apology when-the unthinkable happened.

Hanazawa, who had since ceased the telling of his story, bumped his knee into Shigeo's leg.

Shigeo's mind faltered. It actually stopped thinking for 0.5 seconds. That was nothing compared to the thoughts and sounds that came crashing down after that. What was Hanazawa doing? Was he confirming that it was okay that Shigeo made a mistake? Was he saying he didn't mind personal space? Noisy emotions and confusion filled the space in between the questions where Shigeo didn't have enough brain left to think through what was going on.

After a silent moment had passed between the two, in which guards and horses were leaping about in Shigeo's mind (rather loudly), he stood up abruptly, giving Hanazawa a small bow and politely saying, "thank you for this afternoon, but I think I'll be taking the rest of the evening to myself. I apologize for leaving on such short notice."

And Shigeo turned to leave, unbeknownst of the mess of a person he was leaving in his wake.

Some time after that, Shigeo came to the conclusion that it was best to pretend the event had not happened in the first place, blatantly ignoring Reigen and Dimple's advice in favor of salvaging what was left of his heart. But there came a point when Shigeo could no longer stand Dimple's knowing sighs as he healed himself from the most recent heart-attack.

"What is it you're sighing about?" Shigeo finally asked that night out of irritation. Which was exactly what Dimple wanted to be asked.

"Oh, you'll figure it out..." was all he said. On purpose. Shigeo did not press the point.

After all, he had more pressing matters lately, such as that weak heart of his, this year's new fur traders wanting to set up shop in the kingdom, the upcoming ball, and the fact that Hanazawa hadn't been to a ball in years.

Shigeo's first thoughts were, how terrible to always be on duty during such large events and then he would be a wonderful dance partner. He figured, with Hanazawa's swordsmanship and intense fighting ability, he would be fantastically light on his feet. So he took the time to arrange another guard to take Hanazawa's place for that particular evening. To say it was all for Hanazawa's enjoyment was not true, since Shigeo knew he was interested in seeing the knight dance. It was neither a purely selfless or purely selfish act. It was a gray area that would make both parties happy.

But this also made Shigeo nervous. It would be the first time Hanazawa would see him so dressed up. It would be the first time Hanazawa would be seeing him dance as well. So in his sudden nervousness, he relied on his little brother.

He confessed in Ritsu his case of concern for the upcoming night, while Ritsu waited curiously and patiently before belittling Shigeo's wardrobe and saying, "any new king can't just wear the same suits for a whole three years." And then dragged his older brother into town, the Royal Guard trailing slightly behind.

That evening, Shigeo's whole wardrobe was stuffed with new tailcoats and seven piece suits and other things he never believed he would wear, but Ritsu insisted he needed to buy. And while his clothing was now up to date, it did not make his decisions any easier. In fact, with every new outfit, the decision was made that much more difficult.

The issue was so troublesome that it persisted until the night before the ball. Shigeo had been grasping at straws, asking Reigen and then even Dimple's opinion, but he had come out with the response "wear what makes you feel confident." (Or, in Dimple's case, "don't wear anything at all! Ha!") The only problem was, Shigeo rarely felt confident.

So Shigeo pulled the last straw and called for Hanazawa to meet him in his rooms. It wasn't the first time Hanazawa had helped Shigeo find an outfit, though he had been avoiding it because something told him to impress Hanazawa instead. But Shigeo was too desperate at this point to begin to impress anyone.

So midnight found Shigeo and Hanazawa digging through his closet in search of a fitting suit. Hanazawa took the lead, handing Shigeo nearly every one of the brand new suits but seemed to have missed the white one, which he was secretly very glad for.

Trying on every suit was agonizing, it always was, and he appeared from his bathroom cherry red every time, feeling Hanazawa's eyes on him. When had asking Hanazawa's opinion on suits been such a bad idea? Shigeo was burning under all the layers of cloth. He wanted to go jump in an ice cold lake somewhere and sink to the bottom. It didn't help matters when he kept stumpling over a new pair of shoes Ritsu had made him get that he couldn't quite get into right.

Finally, finally the last suit was on, and Shigeo was taking a moment to look in the mirror, not looking at Hanazawa's smaller reflection as he sat on the bed behind him.

"They all look magnificent, your highness," Hanazawa said, and Shigeo felt like someone was tickling the insides of his stomach. He pinched the palm of his own hand. "Which do you prefer?"

"Oh, thank you, Hanazawa," Shigeo responded sincerely. But he had rather been hoping Hanazawa could answer the question. "I'm not certain. I rather like them all. What are you wearing?" Maybe it was a bit nosy of him, but he was interested none the less.

But instead, he got an odd reply. "What do you mean?"

Shigeo wrinkled his eyebrows a little at his image in the mirror. "To the ball. Have you decided what you're wearing?"

"Shigeo, I have guard duty. I won't be attending," came the blunt but still Hanazawa-gentle words.

That's when it dawned on him. It didn't take longer than a single, short breath for Shigeo to realize. The embarrassment of the suits paled in comparison to the horror he felt now. He whipped around to face Hanazawa, his mouth open and streaming out apologizes. "Oh no! I-I-I-I forgot! I'm so sorry, H-Hanazawa!" His face was steaming and he bowed low.

Hanazawa was on his feet in an instant, motioning with his hands for Shigeo to stand straight. "No! No! Get up! Don't worry about it! This isn't something to be so sorry about!"

Dumb, so dumb! He was a royal idiot! How could he have possibly done this? This felt like the worst mistake he had ever made, the most stupid thing he could've ever done! Especially when he was the one looking forward to it! "I-it is, though! You-you see, I had arranged, weeks ago, for your duty to be excused for tomorrow! But...but I forgot to tell you!"

He was a terrible friend! You couldn't forget something this important! There would be lords and barons and dukes and earls, and Shigeo was telling Hanazawa to prepare to meet them the night before! How could he rule as a king if this was the kind of importance he gave these things?

"I don't have a suit to fit me." Hanazawa's words broke Shigeo's self-harassment. "Its been too long since I've last attended a ball."

Of course. This is the trouble Shigeo causes when he had thought he was doing a good thing. But he improvises, fast, because the situation called for it. "I'm sorry! I can't buy anything on such sort notice...but I think Reigen might have something to fit you..."

This seems to settle well with Hanazawa because he said, "I'll have to ask him tomorrow morning then, huh...?"

Shigeo hastily agrees and twines his own fingers together in anxious movements. The largest of the danger had passed. He was still upset with himself, though. "I-it's late. Perhaps we ought to go to bed? Since we'll be up late at the ball tomorrow."

Hanazawa looks surprised by the notion of sleep, but quickly makes his way to the door. Shigeo trails behind. The panic was quickly subsiding, replaced with the sort of relief that only comes after a quick solution. At the door, Hanazawa turned around to face Shigeo, and they stared at each other, one knight out in the corridor and one king standing in the bedroom, leaning on the door like he might fall down. Which he might; his heart is starting to pick up speed again for ungodly reasons. Like the ever present knowledge that Hanazawa was taller than him, and the moonlight was beaming in through a window further down the tower stairs, and that no one should really be in his rooms this late at night anyway. These all suddenly seemed like very important facts.

"See you tomorrow then, Shigeo?" Hanazawa looked at him as if he was offering something.

In turn, Shigeo offered a small smile. "Yes...Don't forget to ask Reigen for a suit."

He carefully pushed the door, watching Hanazawa's face disappear through the sliver of the door crack until he heard the click of the lock as it found its place in the wall. Sighing deeply from the pit if his stomach, Shigeo leaned against the door with his back, head up towards the ceiling as he tried to think very little. But then the racing events of the evening caught up with him, and he felt exahausted. His knees weak, he slid to the floor right in front of his door.

Things were making a little bit more sense now; the way his heart would break its legs running, and then would abruptly flat-line. How he felt like he was falling down a hill fast enough to give himself whiplash. Why drowning himself in a lake seemed appropriate after making a fool of himself.

"Dimple," Shigeo called out with a worn voice, head in his arms. The spirit drifted in through the opposite wall, looking at him curiously. "I've figured it out."

Dimple snorted. "About time."

* * *

That felt really long and drawn out, but I was also putting in a lot of background. Probably unnecessary.

Dimple was totally in on Shigeo's feelings way before Shigeo was. Ritsu had to figure it out in his own way. Sucks when you're the last one to know your own feelings

And yeah, Shou was technically mentioned this chapter, but that hardly counts.

Bonus points if you caught the manga reference with the running old lady.

It's really late rn, and I'm low key dying. Sorry if this chapter was lackluster compared to the first one! I'm switching back to Teru's POV for the last chapter, so maybe his exaggerated thinking will help spice things up, haha


	3. He Would Do Anything

Sorry for taking so long with this next chapter! I couldn't figure out just what I wanted to do with it.

Disclaimer: you do not take shots of brandy. Do not follow Shigeo's example

* * *

Teruki waited...waited... . . . . . . and waited some more. He honestly couldn't wait much longer; this was of the most urgent matter. As Teruki raised his fist again, the door that he was preparing to pound against for the third time, creaked open. Revealed was an older man in an incredible state of bedhead, who happened to be King Shigeo's adviser, Reigen Arataka.

It was only a few moments of Reigen's assessment of the current situation before he said, "the sun isn't even up."

Teruki smiled, himself running on only a few hours of fitful sleeping. "It is still the morning, Royal Administrator."

"I don't understand," came the reply. And then, as if in incredulity, "Royal Administrator? Didn't Shigeo just tell you to call me Reigen?"

"It might have come up in conversation once or twice," Teruki said. It had never come up before. Shigeo talked often of Reigen but had never told Teruki how to address his adviser.

Reigen, still hiding the best of himself behind the door, made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat in response. "So what are you doing here, uh, Sir Hanazawa?"

"It seems that I had forgotten I'd be attending tonight's ball, and King Shigeo referred me to you, saying you may have something to fit me," Teruki said politely. "If you don't mind, I came as early as possible to inquire about the suits."

"That's all good and well, but," Reigen looked down at himself. "I'm still in my nightgown."

"That's quite alright. It shouldn't take too long. If nothing can fit, I'll take a trip into town." He was not so sure about the latter.

Reigen begrudgingly opened the door to let the knight into his rooms. He shut the door before leading Teruki to his wardrobe, all the while, speaking. "Shigeo forgot to tell you, didn't he?"

Teruki glanced at him in surprise. How had he-

"How did I know?" Reigen mysteriously quoted Teruki's thoughts. "I practically raised the kid. And besides, he was saying he kept feeling like he'd forgotten something. I suppose this was it."

It suddenly clicked as to why Reigen was Shigeo's adviser; Reigen was like some magic man. Teruki wondered how much more of his thoughts were going to be read by the end of this suit heist.

Reigen was muttering to himself as he ventured through his own wardrobe and pushing things aside. "What's the fashion these days? I can never keep up...That's too small...too worn out...Say, does Shigeo know what he's wearing?"

Teruki looked up from his curious gazing about Reigen's room; it was an awful mess. "Um, no." To tell or not to tell the truth? But Reigen was staring at him with a peculiar look that made the truth slide out. "He asked me to help him last night. He hadn't picked anything when I'd left."

"Is that so? Indecisive 'til the end, I guess," and he went back to searching through the wardrobe.

"I guess that's just part of his charm," stupid mouth. Teruki smiled awkwardly when Reigen turned his head sharply to give him another odd look, but he was inwardly punching his own gut.

"Maybe...," was Reigen's only response, vague and giving away nothing. "I think I've found something you'll like; almost brand new. Pretty sure kids your age will like it."

Teruki was unsure of Reigen's informal speech, but was eyeing the suit appreciatively. He could almost melt on the spot, he was so glad to have something appropriate to wear. "Thank you so much, Royal Admi-Reigen!" Teruki beamed, his best smile plastered across his face in relieved honesty.

"No problem," he waved it off. However, the next moment, he was deadly serious. "But don't come back so early next time. The suits aren't going to run away."

"I'll keep that in mind," Teruki laughed nervously. "I apologize..."

Reigen nodded at his words. "Just be careful not to spill anything on that suit. And don't rip it either."

"I won't...," Teruki made a polite bow before leaving under Reigen's watchful gaze and creeping through the castle, back into the barracks.

He himself had a better room than the other guards, who had to share, because, while he had been demoted, he still remained the head of a guard; which, of course, came with some privileges. While he still slept in the same building with his fellow guards, and often shared the same bathrooms and common room, he got to enjoy his own room and was the more likely of the lot to converse with the king (much more likely than any other head of the Civil Guard, in Teruki's special situation.)

In his own room, he gently laid the suit across his bed, which was already made for the morning. Having received little sleep, Teruki had woken up and stayed drifting right above the waves of sleep that refused to drag him under. In a fit of impatience, he rolled off the side of his bed, changing into his uniform and correcting his blankets before dashing off to Reigen's rooms. Now, with more than ten hours to go before he even began preparing himself for the ball, Teruki didn't know what else to do except sit in the common room and wait for work to start.

Of course, it wasn't much longer, since his shift started early. It was his duty to patrol the kingdom and apprehend anyone who dared harm another. However, there wasn't much of apprehending anybody in the early hours of the morning; most crime happened right after noon and late at night, usually just theft between market stalls and easy enough to hash out. The morning patrols were usually filled with bored men trying to 'coo' stray kittens out of alleyways, so they could pet them. Teruki had even once bought fresh meat in the morning to feed to the dogs.

Following morning patrol was training. Usually, Teruki led a hand-to-hand combat session or practical defensive and offensive situations they might find themselves in. There was also conditioning that they regularly went through, which included getting down in the dirt, knife-throwing, wrestling, running, shouting, and a lot of sweating. Need less to say, Teruki was looking foward to a bath when a servant came walking up to him, a letter in hand.

"From King Shigeo to Sir Hanazawa," was all the servant said as he presented the letter and made off on his way.

Some of the other guards milling about feigned indifference, when in truth they were highly interested, as Teruki open the letter. It read:

 _Sir Hanazawa,_

 _My apologies for not sooner informing you, though this seems to becoming a habit of mine,-Teruki chuckled-but I will be cancelling our tea today. As the ball is set to start at five tonight, I find myself pressed for time in matters of paperwork. I hope any time we spend together at the ball tonight will make up for the missed tea time._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Kageyama Shigeo_

Teruki took his time memorizing the tight, mildly sloppy scrawl of the king as he made his way to his rooms, having dismissed himself from training; the next guard who had been assigned to take his place for the evening had already arrived. He read the letter through once more before he collected lukewarm water to fill his bath. Setting the letter down on his bedside table, he lowered himself into the tub.

Slowly, unlike his previous actions this day, Teruki took his time washing the sweat and grime off his skin, leaning back and letting the water lap at his blond hair. Unlike his usual baths, where he roughly and quickly cleaned himself, he carefully massaged shampoo and water onto his scalp before letting it all rinse away. With the soap, the tension in his muscles was washed away too, leaving behind a clean and eager knight.

He stepped out of the bath and dried himself with a towel that was a little worse for wear; he kept reminding himself to nick a new one from the castle, not that Shigeo would mind. He could probably make a minor complaint on just about anything from soap to the biscuits served during tea, and Shigeo would have it all altered; not that Teruki would dream of doing that, he was very satisfied with his current situation. And he'd never take advantage of the king's good nature.

Teruki disposed of the bathing water before returning to his bedside, where he stared down at the suit. Anxiously, like the sewing would unravel just by a touch, he picked up the trousers and fastened them around his waist with a belt. A button-up was gently grabbed, and he slid the cool cloth on, careful to align every button. Next came the waistcoat, black and the neck dipping low and buttoning at the abs so the undershirt was visible. He pulled a cravat around his neck and tied it with ease. After that was the suit jacket and silk gloves. The finishing touch was the Head of Civil Guard emblem on a pin, only worn on special occasions, pinned through the middle of the cravat like any other noble would pin a jewel to link him to his kingdom.

Teruki didn't have a full length mirror, but he knew the suit fit him well. It was a slim fit, every bit of it black from the shoes to the cravat and gloves, save for the white undershirt and emblem. Having said that, he did have a handheld mirror and went about his business examining and brushing his quickly drying hair. There wasn't much to do in the name of styling it, but he could certainly tame the after-bath disaster it sometimes was, sticking up this way and that. Satisfied, he placed the mirror back in its place in his wardrobe and picked up the letter from Shigeo, only to pull a box out from under his bed. Inside the box consisted of only two more letters, both from Shigeo; one a request for a private meeting after their massive fight, which Teruki didn't much like to think about, and the other was a request to have tea together for the first time. Teruki set the new letter into the box before closing the lid and sliding it out of sight.

Standing, he glanced out his window at the large clock face on the castle tower, marking an hour before the ball was supposed to start.

Was it alright if Teruki made his way to the castle now? It wasn't but a ten minute walk to make it to the entrance. Perhaps he should wait; it rather seemed like the more socially acceptable approach. But just as Teruki was about to settle impatiently on his bed, a figure drifting down the path to the castle entrance caught his eye. All he could make out was dark hair and a billowing dress, but it seemed invitation enough to join the early-to-the-party crowd, even though Teruki was fond of being fashionably late.

Slow as he could be in a meek attempt to waste time, Teruki made his way out of the barracks, smiling in greeting at all his fellow guard members that happened to catch him passing by; he was certain that the most of them had never seen him so dressed up. The stares did wonders to boost Teruki's confidence, though he tried to tell himself it wasn't all such a big deal. So much for being humble.

He crossed the green lawn to the cobblestone path leading straight to the large and magnificent, double door entrance to the castle. As he neared, he saw no signs of the woman; it appeared that she had already been allowed inside. He climbed the stone steps and knocked soundly on the wooden doors that were promptly pushed open by servants on the other side. As a well-known guest and knight of the castle, they did not press him for a ball invitation; instead, Teruki simply gave them his thanks, and they bowed.

Behind the doors was a beautiful entrance with a grand staircase covered in black velvet carpet, and all the magnificent, large windows were exaggerated with thick, black curtains and rope dyed gold to draw the curtains back; the railing on the stairs was of the finest wood, and there were several doors about the sides and back of the building, leading further into the castle.

This was nothing new to Teruki, who had grown up trampling through here to make a report to the previous king and was used to making his way throughout the castle in search of Shigeo. But it was a strange thrill to see the castle through the eyes of a guest, dressed to the nines.

Teruki's attention was caught by the sound of heels clicking on the marble floor. And even though the mysterious woman was still no where in sight, Teruki's trained ability to find and hunt quickly pinpointed the sound to be coming through the door in the left corner of the entrance, behind the stairs. His mind filed through several possibilities as to where she was headed on instinct and found that door to be exact routes to the kitchen, Ritsu's rooms, and the library. His natural instinct was to follow her, nearly forgetting he was only in a suit and not his usually armor.

He took after her at a healthy pace, giving the appearance of urgency. He made his way through the door and into the corridor, where he saw her dress flick casually around an exit some ways down the hall; the library. Nothing suspicious, aside from the fact that a very obvious ball guest was an hour early and skulking about the confines of the castle, alone.

Teruki picked up his pace, his own shoes now clacking lightly against the floor, and he stopped dead at the door, taking in his surroundings. The library was massive, shelves and shelves lining the walkways and desks placed at random. The walls housed their own books, and balconies were built where ladders could no longer reach. It was completely silent, and the first thing Teruki noticed was he could no longer hear the heels hitting the ground. Just as he was about to take rounds about the library, he spotted the guest climbing a latter a little ways away, reaching for a thick novel. As the woman climbed down, Teruki noticed something very odd.

"Tome!" He said in pleasant surprise.

She turned her head sharply, finally noticing his presence and said, with a tongue as sharp as her head turn, "it's Miss Tome, to you."

Kurata Tome was the local 'witch' of Seasoning Kingdom, and a peasant woman at that. She was the person Teruki had, very embarrassingly, run to after his fight with Shigeo, in which he had lost a large amount of hair. She was very good at what she did, mixing potions and herbs and preparing rituals, though people often misjudged her. Because of that, she did not live a lavish lifestyle, and Teruki was shocked to see her hair so well done and her body stuck in a dress she usually could not afford.

"You look lovely, Tome," Teruki, ignoring her comment, earnestly complimented her. After all, it wasn't every day Tome would dress up as the beautiful young woman she was.

She flushed at his words, and snuck out between barely moving lips, "You look dashing too, Sir Hanazawa. It's been a while since I've seen you around."

"Ah, I've been assigned the morning and night patrols more often now. I don't get out into the town during decent daylight hours that much anymore," he responded. "May I ask as to how...you were invited to the ball, yes?"

"Oh yes," Tome perceptively caught on to what Teruki was attempting to ask. "And as to the dress; a neighbor of mine was kind enough to lend it to me."

"That's rather nice," he did not mention that his was also a borrowed outfit. "But what are you doing here so early? The ball doesn't begin for another hour."

She gave him a look that told him she thought he was being nosy, but also that she secretly wanted to be asked. With an important tone, she said, "Prince Shigeo sent me a letter along with my invitation, saying I was welcome to the library so long as I was an hour early. We regularly send letters, after all."

"Is that so? What do you write about?" Teruki wasn't jealous about the letter exchange. In fact, he was amused by Tome's ways. He had forgotten how fond he was of spending time with her. Maybe he'd ask Shigeo to invite her to dine sometime.

"Oh, not much. I talk about my work, and that Mezato from the bakery, and he talks mostly about his brother and the weather. He's mentioned you lately. Said you were funny; sweet, even," she examined the book in her hands, not meeting Teruki's gaze. "Consider that fair trade for the compliment."

Teruki turned red in surprise. Shigeo wrote about him? Called him funny and sweet! What else did Shigeo use to describe him? "Uh, thanks..."

"Yeah..." she acknowledge him. "All that being said, we still have plenty of time before the ball starts. I'm going to read. It's your business whatever you do now."

Teruki understood his dismissal and migrated to another section of the library, too bored to even find himself a book. After the small thrill of chasing Tome, and then the friendly chatter, he found himself unable to focus an a book. None the less, he selected a novel at random and settled into a chair by the window, so he could still watch the clock on the tower wall, which he did a lot more of then reading. Around ten 'til, Teruki began to hear the first of the guests meandering in until it became a steady stream of heels clicking against floors, the soft rustle of skirts as the brushed against things, the murmurs and laughter of nobility. At ten after, Teruki and Tome, even though sitting at opposite ends of the library, closed their books and stood at the same time. Together, they joined the flow of guests in the entrance and followed into the ballroom. Teruki offered his arm to Tome who gave him a curious glance before taking it.

"Better if we're fashionably late together, don't you think?" He said mischievously.

Tome returned his smile before presenting the servants with her invitation. Teruki simply nodded to them. And there they were, standing at the entrance to Seasoning Kingdom's largest ballroom. Crystal chandeliers hung precariously in rows, and more of the black and gold curtains were draped across large windows which would later be pulled back when the sun set to reveal the moon and stars; the floor was made out of smooth and polished stone, decorated with intricate vegetal design; along the walls were lines of tables, many with food covering the surface better than a table cloth.

And then there were the guests. There were suits of various color, and tailcoats of varying lengths; noble men with mustaches and beards and even a rare few with a son or daughter. The women wore dresses of silk and cotton with elbow length gloves and gems around their necks. Their hair was adorned with scarves and curls and pins, with fans in their hands.

Teruki noticed Tome out of the corner of his eye as she touched the base of her neck. She had no necklace or earrings and not enough hair to pile high, just the dress and a pair of small gloves, no where near as long as their's. He said nothing, knowing she didn't want the attention.

"A drink? Or do you want to mingle with the upper-class?" He said instead.

"I think a drink would be in good order," she replied.

Still arm-in-arm, they made their way to the back of the room, where servants stood about with trays of wine and water. More heavy alcohol would be presented late into the evening.

Both took a glass of wine, both with secret intentions of drowning their nerves in the fine drink.

Teruki carefully sipped the wine, peering about as naturally as he could for the king. He saw many well dressed nobles from nearby towns, but there was no sign of Shigeo or Ritsu. As his glass slowly emptied, more people approached him with greetings and conversation, talking about far away places and products their company sold and the conspiracies about the royal family that Teruki quickly shut down, and even encountered a foreigner who jokingly offered him a spot in their kingdom's Royal Guard.

As they were nearing a half hour into the event, and Teruki's third glass, the king and prince finally made their arrival. As they entered, the nobility took notice and silenced impressively quick, watching the brothers. Shigeo politely raised his hand in greeting and motioned that they need not stop their conversations. As quickly as the hall had quieted, it began its noise again with permission from the king.

"Talk about fashionably late," Teruki murmured humorously to Tome, who let out a small snort of a laugh. He then indicated in Shigeo's direction. "Shall we?"

The pair made their way through the crowd to the two royal brothers across the room. They were just stepping in as Teruki and Tome encountered them.

In greeting, Teruki bravely took Shigeo's hand in his and bowed, brushing his lips against Shigeo's gloved knuckles. "Your highness," he said. Teruki liked to think that this was nothing, but he rather liked being bold; and his empty glass of wine sitting discarded on a table somewhere might have aided him in that.

"S-Sir Hanazawa," Shigeo greeted him, his ears red. Teruki could feel Ritsu's gaze digging into him. "And Miss Tome. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you," Tome responded neatly after both Shigeo and Ritsu had taken her hand and kissed it in greeting as if she was nobility.

"How did you find the library? I hope you liked it..." Shigeo inquired.

"It was magnificent! I rather enjoyed it, thank you," she said excitedly. "In fact, I found this one there." She eyed Teruki.

"Actually, I found you there," he corrected her.

Ritsu cut into the start of their bantering. "We should greet the guests, Brother."

"Ah! Yes!" Shigeo started and walked off with his brother into the throng of nobles.

He looked wonderful, Teruki had noticed right away; breathtaking. Shigeo had chosen the deep blue suit with the finest of silver designs, buttoned at the waist. The cravat was black and made of ribbon that folded underneath itself gently; the black gem of Seasoning Kingdom was pinned in the center of the cravat's knot. It was a sight you couldn't take your eyes off of and let burn into the back of your mind, so that when it was gone, you could still imagine it.

"You're a piece of work," Tome noted to him dryly.

Teruki looked victimized. "What?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "Kissing his hand."

"No one's going to mind!"

"Shigeo seemed to mind," was all she responded with. "Sweet you are, huh?"

Teruki turned red at this and turned to watch the crowd instead. "The first dance is coming up," he noticed as the folk began to move either towards the wall or towards the center of the room. "Do you want to-"

But Tome was already making her way towards the floor. _What a headstrong woman_ , he thought, following behind her.

As the evening wore on, the curtains were drawn to reveal the shining full moon and sparkling stars dancing to their own tune high up on a black ballroom floor. The drinks had been exchanged with tea, more wine, and several brandies. The food had been solidly pecked into by the guests, and several plates were cleaned. The music kept playing, so the dancing continued, even with full stomachs and tipsy minds.

Teruki himself had had a fair number of wine glasses filled, but Tome had taken happily to the brandy. As another song finished, she let go of Teruki's hands and excused herself, saying she was much too tired to continue dancing, even though she was the one who insisted in the first place. Teruki let her go, knowing she would be back at his side for the next one; she didn't feel comfortable dancing with any other of the nobility.

Having found himself a short break, he made his way to the remainder of the food and watched a new dance take action; Ritsu seemed to have been unwillingly pulled into the arms of a much older woman this time around. Teruki held back a snort.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Sir Hanazawa?" Shigeo's gentle voice floated through Teruki as the king came into view. "I haven't been able to talk much, it seems the other nobility had plans of keeping me from you."

"Ah, well, you are king, after all," Teruki said briskly, though he did feel rather disappointed to only now being able to have a lengthy conversation with Shigeo. "Tonight has been highly enjoyable. I think you did a fantastic job."

Shigeo dipped his head. "Reigen planned most of it. I'm not good with these sorts of things..."

"Is that so? I suppose I'll have to thank him," Teruki said absentmindedly, watching as the song came to an end. Ritsu looked glad to be released from the arms of the woman.

"A new dance is coming up," Shigeo noted. "Do you want to? Dance, I mean..."

"Yes!" Teruki jumped at the invitation too loud, too fast. He cleared his throat. "Yes."

Together, they made their way to floor, where other partners were already setting up for the next dance. Teruki stood in front of Shigeo. As the musicians began to play the next piece, Teruki bowed to Shigeo, as were several other partners. Shigeo, according to the song, accepted the formal invitation, and Teruki stepped closer, taking Shigeo's hand in one of his, his other hand gently pressed against Shigeo's back. Teruki had never been this close to him before, and his heart took to reminding him of that as it thumped loud enough to shake the castle.

One step forward, one step left, two steps back, and spin, Teruki had to remind himself. In his state of excitement and embarrassment, his muscle memory didn't seem to want to participate. Many of his actions, usually wired to his brain, were short-circuited to his heart.

As they were nearing another spin, the song called for a change in partners, the easy passing of dancers during the twirling. As the move grew closer, Teruki was more unwilling to let Shigeo go. He didn't want to exchange his partner for another, he rather liked what was in front of him. But the time came for Teruki to let Shigeo move onto the next partner, and Teruki to accept another one. He felt Shigeo tense in his hands as the moment came, and he stepped out to spin, but Teruki's grip was suddenly made of steel, and he pressed him closer against himself. Leaving in his wake, one girl bumping around in search for her intended partner, and one man wondering as to why his hands were empty.

"Hanazawa!" Shigeo gasped in surprise, his voice low and soft to adjust to their close proximity. "You were supposed to let me go!"

"Sorry," Teruki apologized, not at all feeling bad. In fact, he felt pretty good about what he did; maybe it was the alcohol speaking. "I must have forgotten."

Shigeo must have thought so too, because he said, "you smell like wine."

This time, he was sorry. "Sorry, I've been drinking..."

"I don't mind it," Shigeo told him. "I just don't want you to do anything silly, that's all. Maybe tea for the rest of tonight?"

"That may be a good idea," Teruki admitted sheepishly. To this, he was rewarded a rare and very brief, but stunning smile from Shigeo. He felt every cell in his body stutter.

The song continued for a short time before its abrupt ending, leaving everyone a little breathless. Teruki looked over at Shigeo with a smile and found the king with a fresh look on his face, an expression Teruki wasn't aware he could make. It was in between smiling and a gaze, like he had accomplished something and was made anew by it, it was the kind of look you gave to nothing in-particular, but Shigeo was giving it to Teruki; it felt intimate in the way it made both the person expressing and the person receiving feel as if everyone else in the room lacked importance. And maybe they did. After all, it wasn't a face made for them, and the expression wasn't formed with thoughts of them in his head. An expression belonged to the person who was thought up in order to create the expression.

"That was fun," Shigeo said.

And Teruki found himself a little too breathless.

But he was knocked back to reality when he noticed that several folk were leaving from the floor and many were coming on with their own partners. Before Shigeo could leave, Teruki bowed and said, "may I have this dance?" He wanted to see that expression again.

"You may," he responded politely.

The song that began to play was much more fast paced, and they moved across the floor with fluid movement, eager to match the beat. With this new beat came more complicated steps, the position of the hands changing, sharp turns. As they made one of these sharp spins, Teruki's hands found Shigeo's waist. A crack like lightning shot across Teruki's brain, frying it to the best of its abilities; he had never touched Shigeo's waist. His hands stopped just short of resting on Shigeo, as if the lightning had burnt his quick reactions beyond repair. His face went red as his body rejected the idea of being so close to Shigeo, his heart probably couldn't take it. But Teruki wouldn't miss a beat of the song, wouldn't let himself slip up, so he pushed passed his heart and took Shigeo's waist in his hands, gently lifting him up for a quick half turn just on time with the other dancers. When Shigeo was again face-to-face with Teruki, he noticed the king's face was also an incredible shade of red; he figured his waist wasn't often grabbed at.

The song was quickly coming to an end, every dancer pulled into a dramatic pose as the last of the song was played out of the instruments. Teruki had his arm wrapped securely around Shigeo's middle, dipping him down low, his other hand, sweaty from nerves, pulled Shigeo's hand straight up. Shigeo had a firm grip on Teruki's shoulder to balance himself, and, as the dance had called for, his leg, the one that wasn't firmly planted on the ground, was pulled up to rest against Teruki's waist. However, instead of using his leg to find more stability, Shigeo was barely making contact with his waist. Teruki could feel only the finest hints of his leg brushing against his body. This was fine; Teruki was going to have a heart-attack, anyway.

What a terrible song choice! Teruki couldn't believe himself! Under what star and moon and sun could he pull something like that off? And yet, he did, albeit, with much more blushing than he was aware he was capable of. However, the product of such a provocative dance was the mutually but silent bee-lining away from each other, particularly to opposite ends of the room.

Not five minutes had passed when Tome found Teruki, alone and nursing a cup of tea, and began conversing with him. Teruki would've preferred a moment more of silence.

"Red's a nice look on you, dancer boy," she gave him a cheeky grin. She was very tipsy, Teruki noted from the nearly empty glass in her hand. "Not a bad song choice. Though I'm disappointed you left me alone for two whole dances."

"It was an accident," Teruki muttered into his cup. "I didn't know that was what would be playing next..."

"I saw Shigeo when I was walking over here," this piqued his interest. "He was shooting down brandy like a beginner." She paused to laugh, then abruptly changed to," did you notice he didn't look at you when the song ended? Because I noticed, and-"

"Yeah, I noticed," he mumbled, his fingertips pressing against his cup turned white. Was she riling him up on purpose? Perhaps it was because she was drunk. Either way, it was setting a storm cloud over his mind.

Again, she suddenly changed the topic. "Dance with me, Sir Hanazawa."

"I don't think that's how you ask for a dance," Teruki replied. In an attempt at another quiet moment, he said, "why don't you go ask Ritsu? It seems he enjoys the dancing."

Teruki watched in sadistic amusement as Tome obediently went to find the prince, her discomfort with dancing with nobility diminishing with each glass of brandy. Their facial features were hard to discern from the distance, but Tome was happily dragging Ritsu onto the floor just as a new song picked up. Teruki let out a small snicker.

Left alone again, Teruki sipped his tea, mind brewing with confusing thoughts. Everything felt like a mild blur, the thoughts that were trying to express themselves as words came out as colors, feelings began to make sounds instead of identifying themselves, and his previous wine poured a blanket over his mind, making everything crowded and his thoughts stifling. It wasn't easy to decide what he wanted to do. Maybe he just wanted to stand here and watch all the people pass by in pretty clothes. It was a lot easier than confronting anything else.

As the song ended, Tome and Ritsu approached him, Tome chatting happily, and Ritsu giving her pestering remarks when he was made to speak. Teruki was sure they got along fine; Ritsu was usually cold and crass when he finally accepted someone.

The three stood together, Tome making silly remarks, Ritsu mumbling, and Teruki watching quietly, not listening and drinking tea. Finally, something came to Teruki's notice.

"Ritsu, why aren't you with your brother?"

Tome and Ritsu stopped talking to look at the knight. "He excused himself earlier, saying he needed to rest."

"Oh. I see," was all he could think to say in response to that. He dropped out of the conversation again, his mind no longer with the party.

The ball had drawn to a close very late at night, and the guests were pouring out of the entrance doors as one entity, the murmuring of their chatter sleepy and drunk, as they made their way to the carriages that would take them to an inn or their own local home.

Teruki trailed off to the side, not really interested in mingling with the after-ball guests, who now tended to be interested in finding his bed as they dropped undisguised hints. It was usually like this after a ball, even if he was regularly on duty. Drunk nobility tended to blur the lines of what was and wasn't appropriate.

A hissing whisper suddenly caught his attention, as he idly walked by.

"Sir Hanazawa!" it whispered. "Hanazawa!"

Shigeo was walking up to him, hand attempting to shield his face as if the sun was still out. The king indicated with a motion of his hand for Teruki to follow him when he finally caught the knight's attention. Curious, Teruki followed Shigeo a little way behind the castle.

"Shigeo, what are you up to?" Teruki asked, his earlier nerves from the night subsiding into a friendly voice.

"I didn't want the others to notice me, since I left the ball early," Shigeo explained. At that moment, Teruki noticed an oddly large book held tight in Shigeo's hands. This was certainly odd.

As he was about to ask as to why he was holding a book, Shigeo turned to face Teruki, the faintest blush visible in the moonlight. "I-I apologize for leaving you early this evening."

"No! It's fine," Teruki assured him, puzzled. "You were tired!"

"N-not really..." he breathed out. "I just-well, I needed, uh," Shigeo wasn't looking at him as he tried to speak. He pulled a strand of hair behind he ear. That was new. He had never seen Shigeo do that. Perhaps it was due to the large book that prevented him from toying with his hands. "To calm down..."

Teruki was still watching him with a bemused expression, not certain as to what tied all these odd things together. A book, Shigeo's retiring during the ball, their meeting. It was all very strange.

"I came to a d-decision earlier today," Shigeo continued. "I don't really know...how...," he took a deep, shuddering breath. "I can't really write well or sing, and I can barely play the piano, so I...! I bought you a book of poetry...!"

Teruki stared wide-eyed at the novel extended to him. A full book of poetry was like finding a mountain of silver buried under years of rock! How had Shigeo found something so quickly? But all the same, he didn't quite understand. There was no reason for him to offer Teruki a book of poetry, he hadn't asked for it and made no indication that he enjoyed it (though he rather did). And why did it matter that he could hardly play the few songs Reigen had taught him on the piano? It wasn't of much importance. These odd things Shigeo was saying pulled and plucked at Teruki's brain as he struggled to understand what the king was attempting to tell him. He didn't understand-

"Shigeo!" he gasped. "Are you courting me?"

Shigeo's eyes darted away from Teruki faster than a fish when you dropped a rock right in the center of its pond. His face was red, and his hands shaking as he held out the book. His reactions told Teruki he'd hit the target spot on.

"But...! You're a king!"

"I have ten days until my coronation," he mumbled. "And you're the only one who calls me king..."

"But I...! I don't really deserve-!" Teruki was choking on his words, all of his usual, calm demeanor had vanished. He felt like he was dying. "Thank you, but I-I don't deserve your courtship!"

Shigeo visibly tightened his grip on the book. "I won't force your h-hand, but please...let me c-c-court you!"

Teruki felt like his lungs were grasping at air, and his mouth wouldn't fill with words. What could he do? He wanted this, desperately, like it had been burned onto his bones. But he didn't deserve this, not from a king. Shigeo needed someone else, Teruki knew this. But did he have the same strength he had on the battlefield as in his mind to solidly reject Shigeo's advances? the answer was, no, he probably didn't.

Carefully, trying to still the shaking of his own hands, Teruki reached out for the book.

He blamed it on always being ready to give Shigeo whatever he desired. For always wanted to please and impress him. To never wanting to see him unhappy. Maybe it was like when you spoiled a child-you never stopped; Teruki no longer knew when to put his foot down. He didn't really like the idea of putting his foot down. He'd rather spoil Shigeo to the end of his days than have him fight his battles alone, for him to be in danger, to him being lonely. He would do anything if it meant Shigeo would let Teruki protect him. He would do anything in the world to keep him safe. He would do whatever it took, even if Shigeo stopped courting him and stopped loving him, because Teruki still did. He would do anything to keep Shigeo happy.

Anything for the King.

* * *

Was that cheesy? That was cheesy

So, that whole bathing scene with Teruki is not historically accurate if we want to throwback to the medieval times, which this AU looks the most closely related to. However, I like my version better than what a historically accurate one would look like...but if we kept it historically accurate in the sense of royalty bathing, then Mob should be bathing in rose-water with a curtain pulled over the tub like one of those canopies found on princess beds.

One day, I'm going to draw their ball outfits. One day

Tome deserves someone who will compliment her all day, every day

Also, I totally headcanon that Teruki knows a lot of the townspeople who are canonly Mob's friends because he's head of Civil Guard, and these people (Mezato) like to play detectives, so he talks with them a lot.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE INTERNAL SCREAMING MOB WAS UP TO WHILE THEY DANCED

All that aside, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this! I appreciate every single one of the reads, reviews, and favorites! Thank you guys so much!


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